Toy rocket



May 27, 1958 R. P. NICHOLS TOY ROCKET Filed Aug. 2. 1954 INVENTORfROBERT. P. NICHOLS ATTORNEY I a l 2,836,008

Patented May 27, 1958 TOY ROCKET Robert P. Nichols, Akron, OhioApplication August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,270

Claims. (Cl. 4674) This invention relates to toys, and in particular,relates to toy rockets that are propelled by an explosive charge.

In the past, many and varied forms of explosive toy rockets have beenintroduced in the known prior art. In general, the majority of these toyrockets have been fired by striking the rocket casing against a hardobject such as the ground or cement, the arrangement being such that theimpact of hitting the ground is transferred through the rocket casing toexplode a percussion cap. This arrangement has been found to beextremely dangerous, in view of the fact that there is no control overthe angle at which the rocket casing strikes the ground, with the resultthat when the rocket body per se, is exploded from the casing by virtueof the impact, the same may fly upwardly in any direction. Thisuncontrolled discharge has often times been known to result in injury,inasmuch as the discharged rocket may inadvertently strike the eyes orother sensitive organs of the person using the device. Attempts atovercoming this inherent danger have normally been directed towards themanual gripping of the rocket casing, and pounding of the same on a hardobject. However, these attempts have not met with uniform success, dueto the fact that the person gripping the rocket casing was apt toreceive serious, and sometimes permanent, powder burns as a result ofthe explosion of the percussion cap in an area of close proximity to theusers hand. Other inherent difficulties that have characterized theknown prior art relate to the difliculties encountered in properlyloading and discharging the rocket to receive a satisfactoryperformance.

It has been discovered that if an improvedtype of exploding mechanism isemployed in conjunction with the known prior art devices, that animproved firing will be obtained, with the result that the toy rocketcan be safely fired in a predetermined direction without the presence ofany danger whatsoever to the user thereof.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide an improvedtype of toy rocket, the operation of which is characterized by extremesafety to the user.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a toy rocket that ispropelled by an explosive charge that operates within a confined areathat is safely enclosed and spaced with respect to the hands of theuser.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a toy rocket thatoperates as a gun device, whereby the toy rocket may safely be propelledfrom the gun portion per se in a predetermined direction.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a rocketdevice that is simple in operation and accordingly economical toproduce.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent upona reading of the brief specification considered and interpreted in thelight of the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and 2 in section andillustrating the improved form of toy rocket.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the lines 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the lines 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the firing chamber.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular, to Figure 1 thereof,the improved toy rocket mechanism, generally designated as 10, is shownas including a tubular rocket body 11, loosely mounted on a cooperatingtubular extension 12 of a gun-shaped rocket mount 13 for propulsiontherefrom upon actuation of a springoperated striker arm 14, in a mannerto be described.

As is best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the handle 15 of therocket mount 13 is hollowed out as at 15a, for reception therein of anarched coil spring 16, the free end 16a, of which, connects with thestriker arm 14 to form a spring-loaded detonator for effectuating thenecessary impact to detonate the explosive and accordingly to propel therocket body 11 with respect to the rocket mount 13. Free movement of thestriker arm 14, together with the spring 16 to the expanded positionindicated by chain dotted lines in Figure 1, is permitted by slottingthe back wall 17 of handle 15 at 18.

For the purpose of providing the detonating impact adjacent the spacedfree end of the tubular extension 12, the same (tubular extension 12) isshown as carrying an axially shiftable shaft 20, the opposed ends ofwhich are provided with enlarged cylindrical heads 21 and 22, thearrangement being such that the axial distance between the heads 21 and22 is greater than the overall axial length of the tubular extension 12,whereby the shaft 20 may be shifted axially with respect to the member12.

' The rocket member 11 that is received upon the tubular extension 12,is shown in Figure 1, as including a tubular sleeve 25 that'has oneaxial end 25!: thereof, provided with a tapered nose portion 26, of softor resilient material. This nose portion 26 abuts an internallypositioned cup member 27, that is cooperatively engageable with the head21 and is shaped so as to define a seat 2711 that is capable ofreceiving a percussion cap 28. To further increase the effectiveness ofthe engagement between the internal wall of the cup 27 and the head 21,the internal wall of the cup 27 may be provided with a radial undercut29 that receives an 0 ring 30. The structure of the rocket member 11 iscompleted by equipping the opposed axial end of the rocket sleeve 25with the conventional fins 31, 31 that are shown in Figure 3 as beingarranged at right angles with each other.

In use or operation of the improved rocket mechanism 10, the rocket body11, defined by sleeve 25, is first held in a vertical position with thenose 26 being pointed towards the ground. At this point, a percussioncap may be dropped in the open end of the sleeve 25 adjacent the fins31, 31, and the cap 28 will, by operation of gravity, fall downwardly,internally of the sleeve 25, until the same rests against the seat 27athat is defined by the cup 27. In this position the tubular extension 12of the gun mount may be inserted interiorly of the sleeve 25 of therocket body 11 and may be moved axially with respect to the sleeve 25until the head 21 thereof engages the percussion cap 28 that is seatedon the cup 27.

At this point, the assembled rocket mechanism 10 is ready for firing,and the user may merely grip the handle 15 and then withdraw the strikerarm 14 against the force of spring 16 to the chain-dotted position ofFigure 1. Release of the striker arm 14 from this chaindotted positionWill result in the same (striker arm 14) being rapidly urged to the leftof Figure 1 at which time the face'14a thereof will engage thecylindrical head 22 and will transmit an impact thereto. 1 This impactwill be transmitted axially from the head 22 through shaft 20, into head21 for eventual transmittal against the percussion cap 28 that is seatedon cup 27. This impact will explode the percussion cap 28 with theresult-that the expanding gases created by the explosion will operate tomove the cup 27 to the left of Figure 1, thus resulting in flight of therocket with respect to the rocket mount 13.

It will be seen from the'foregoing that a toy rocket has been providedwherethe explosion does not occur at the point of original impact, butrather occurs at a spaced point that is defined by the cup 27 and head21. This explosion is carefully confined interiorly of the tubularmember 25 of the rocket member 11, and there is no possibility of anyperson being hurt as a result of the firing of the apparatus. It hasbeen further shown how the cooperation between the rocket 11 and theextension 12 permits the rocket to be pointed prior to launching so thatthe same may be directed away from the user to avoid injury.

It is to be specifically understood that'a representative embodiment ofthe invention has been above-described in conjunction with thedisclosure of this invention. It is manifest that certain modificationsof the invention could be specifically resorted to without the exerciseof invention. In this regard, it is apparent that modified types ofrocket mounts other'than the gun shaped mount shown in conjunction withFigures 1 to 3 of the drawing, could be employed, so long as theprinciple of confining the explosion to an enclosed point that wasspaced with regard to the original point of impact was employed.

Accordingly, modifications of the invention may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A projectile toy of the character described, comprising; a rocketsupport having a tubular extension; a nonresilient cylindrical impactmember received interiorly of said, tubular extension; a striker headshiftably carried by said support and being movable into and out 4 factthat said impact head includes a shaft, the opposed ends of which aredefined by cylindrical heads of enlarged diameter whereby axial movementof said impact head with respect to said tubular extension is limited.

3. A project toy of the character described, comprising; a housinghaving a tubular extension; a shaft received interiorly of said tubularextension in axially shiftable relationship therewith and having theopposed axial ends thereof projecting beyond the axial ends of saidtubular extension; a striker head shiftably carried by said housing andbeing movable into and out of engagement with one projecting axial endof said shaft; a tubular rocket body telescopically received over saidtubular extension and said shaft in relatively movable relationshiptherewith; and a cup member positioned interiorly of said tubularrocket-body to define an axial wall for the internal cavity thereof; theinternal sidewalls of said cup member being engageable with oneprojecting free end of said shaft to define therewith a firing chamberwithin which may be received a percussion cap.

4. The device of claim 3 further characterized by the fact that an Oring is positioned between the internal wall of said cup and an externalwall of said shaft whereby said firing chamber is sealed upon telescopicengagement of said cup and said shaft. 7

5. A projectile toy of the character described, comprising; a supporthaving a tubular extension; a shaft received in said tubular extensionand projecting beyond the opposed ends thereof; an impact head carriedbysaid shaft adjacent one axial end thereof; a rocket bodytelescopically received over said tubular extension and said shaft; anonresilient, axial wall member, fixed securedly axially of said rocketbody adjacent one axial end thereof; and a striker member carried bysaid support and being engageable with one axial end of said shaftwhereby impact between said striker member and said shaft will move saidimpact head into striking engagement with axial wall member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSPetersen June 14,

